QSR battleground shifts from 'Value' to 'Better for you'

McDonald's is touting its "under 400 calories"items, including the venerable Filet-O-Fish sandwich. Burger King has just added smoothies and salads to its menu. Wendy's is pitching a new mobile app that lets customers personalize meals based on the number of calories they choose.

"The new battleground is shifting from 'value' to 'better for you' options,"said Nick Castaldo, senior vice president of marketing at Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza, an East Coast chain, and a lecturer at NOVA Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

"Some of it is defensive, trying to appease nutrition critics - especially as the government's nanny-state rules intensify,"he said.

"But some of it is a competitive reaction to the business inroads made by fast-casual chains such as Chipotle and Einstein Bros. Bagels, which used 'freshness' as a differentiator and a proxy for 'health,' against traditional fast food."

But will these heart-happy changes truly risk losing core customers with their deep passions for burgers, fries and Nachos BellGrande? Or in fast-food speak, is Taco Bell at risk of losing its SHUs, the "Super Heavy Users"?

"They’re not going to violate that relationship by going all healthy,"said Adam Armbruster, Alec's dad, and a partner a ESA &Co., an ad strategy firm. "But at the same time, they want to get the soccer mom in a hurry, driving a Volvo with high income."

Armbruster said the low-fat menu items are mainly a nod to mothers who otherwise would drive past the fast-food joints even though her kids may be screaming for them.